A PETA-sponsored anti-fishing banner was flown around the Manhattan Beach Pier and up the coast Tuesday in the wake of an incident in which a shark bit a swimmer in the water. The shark was attached to a fisherman's line when the bite occurred. Photo by Brad GraversonThe Daily Breeze/07-15-14

In the wake of a shark attack off Manhattan Beach that upset the delicate balance between fishermen and swimmers, city leaders were urged Tuesday to permanently ban fishing from the pier — or at least strictly regulate it.

After listening to shark experts, lifeguards, fishing enthusiasts, swimmers and the shark bite victim himself, council members voted unanimously to declare an emergency and nuisance, allowing a temporary ban on pier fishing for up to 60 days to protect public health and safety.

Over the next month, city staff will meet with the California Coastal Commission, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Los Angeles County lifeguards and other agencies to craft potential new regulations. Their findings will be presented to the council at its Aug. 12 meeting.

Those regulations could include prohibiting certain types of fishing equipment known for catching sharks — like weighted, steel leaders — a ban on cleaning fish at the pier, and regulating the type of casting, the number of poles, and the number and type of hooks, among other options.

In the aftermath of the shark attack, PETA has asked all California cities to permanently ban fishing from their piers. On Tuesday, before the council meeting, the group sponsored a flying banner to cruise along the coastline reading: “Keep Hookers off the Pier! Ban Fishing!”

Locals on both sides of the issue flooded the council chambers Tuesday night to plead their case in front of a packed audience and a bevy of television news cameras. Some demanded that the city enact a permanent fishing ban before a child becomes the next victim of a shark bite or a slice from a fisherman’s line.

Others argued that anti-fishing outcries on social media have been a “hysterical” reaction to one unfortunate incident.

“There are 840 miles of coastline and only a handful of piers,” one man said. “People that want to fish either have to rent a boat or go to the piers. I don’t think it’s fair for people who are sick or handicapped to not have the same rights as swimmers and surfers to enjoy the (water). Make a ruling that makes sense.”

Many urged the council to enact “reasonable” regulations that allow fishing to continue but not in a way that could attract more sharks to the pier and endanger those in the water.

“The piers are the entry level where people start to fish, where the average person with kids gets a chance to fish,” said Tom Raftican, president of the Sportfishing Conservancy.

“There is a right to fish in California, but with rights comes responsibilities and responsible actions of fishermen. Put together reasonable limits on what you can do on the pier so you don’t have interactions with sharks, but let’s allow kids to still get out and stay in touch with nature.”

City Attorney Quinn Barrow told the council that it does not have the authority to permanently ban fishing from the pier. The California Constitution is probably the only one in the country that declares the public’s right to fish, Barrow said. If the city wanted to adopt a permanent fishing ban, he said, it would require a constitutional amendment by the state Assembly and then would have to go before voters, or the city would have to spend a large amount of money to take legal action.

Several residents Tuesday night demanded that the city at least take legal action against the fisherman who hooked the juvenile shark, triggering the July 5 attack.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said last week that the fisherman had not violated any state fishing laws when he hooked the shark, employing techniques used to fish for other species of sharks, rays and other fish.

However, council members said they were not confident in Fish and Wildlife’s investigation and urged city staff to gather evidence against the fisherman, Jason Hagemann, to present to the District Attorney’s Office. Councilman Mark Burton, a retired municipal attorney, said he wanted to see Hagemann prosecuted, potentially for assault with a deadly weapon.

“If we can’t prosecute, let’s get an injunction so he can’t come back to the pier and fish for sharks,” he said.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.